Fun, Funky Retail DesignChinese design firm Ramoprimo recently realized the new Beijing flagship store of British Chinese underwear fashion brand cottonREPUBLIC. The project features a large basket like spatial envelope organized as an overlapping of five rings composed by a succession of colorful diagonal iron rods. The structural pattern was originally inspired by the interlaced timber partition screens of traditional Chinese architecture, but was hybridized with a palette of shiny colors: yellow, red, orange and pink. The resulting structure is floating in the space, surprising and surrounding customers, like oversized, patterned women's tights, a wrap around roller coaster track, or the bent portion of a psychedelic Eiffel Tower.

This very peculiar spatial solution was also inspired by the nature of the environment: a small store completely open on two sides to the shopping mall's public area. The challenge was about choosing between display elements on the show windows, visible from outside, or a traditional shelving system where products could be shown inside the shop, without having to sacrifice the advantages of either.

The choice to design a large perimeter structure answered these issues. It was also dictated by the need to have a long shelf to place colorful packaging boxes, aligned and sorted by type and visible on both sides. The large installation combined with the display elements enhances the spatial and sensorial shopping experience. The starting concept for the floor was to create a large continuous action painting made of white, grey and black resin.